Perfect?
by HealingHearts24
Summary: Everything is absolutely perfect in the Community. There are no murders or criminals. But to every perfect society, there is disgusting reality hiding underneath. Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends will soon discover the realness to their "perfect" world. Heavily inspired by Lois Lowry's "The Giver". AU
1. Beginning

**Hiya! HealingHearts24 here! An idea has been nagging me so much that I couldn't take it anymore and have jotted it down. This is heavily inspired by The Giver by Lois Lowry, but you don't have to go run and read it to understand. This can get a bit confusing, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.**

** Since this is AU, yes, they wear clothes and are different ages. The age differences have vanished! Goodbye! Vamoose! So don't go saying, "But they have a 7 year difference" or whatever. **

**I'll stop ranting so YOU can start reading! Enjoy!**

Freezing winds blew at the hedgehog, causing him to shiver. He shoved his white-gloved hands into the pockets of his bulky, dark blue jacket. His red and white sneakers left tracks in the thin layer of snow coating the sidewalk as he walked. He had left his bicycle at home and using his super speed was outlawed.

That was simply the downfall of living in the perfect community. Powers of any sort were actually somewhat common with Mobians. Though most were simple like enhanced strength or the ability of flight, though that was usually with birds and such of course. But such things would ruin the equality they so strictly followed.

The Council of Elders had decided long ago that such a thing was simply more of a nuisance than help. Being so different like that would bring up bragging. And bragging could lead to so much more; hatred, anger, annoyance, and such. And the Council decided it would be better to curb the people's emotions so that such a thing should not happen.

For without hatred and anger, who would murder? Without feelings of pride and superiority, who would bully? Without sadness and pain, who would commit suicide? So measures were taken to simply blunt the Communities emotions. Drastic measures must be taken for perfection, correct?

As for his bicycle, cars were outlawed. Such vehicles contaminated the environment and accidents took many lives. So they were done away with and replaced with a much safer way of travel: the bicycle. Because not much came about a bicycle accident besides maybe a sprain, cut, or bruise. Rarely if going fast enough, a broken bone, but nothing fatal. So school buses were an automatic no.

The blue hedgehog just wanted to get home and simply wrap himself up in his warm covers. He had had a long day at school – Advanced Algebra was definitely not his forte - and he just felt exhausted. He'd even passed up hanging out with his two best friends, Knuckles and Amy.

Knuckles the Echidna was a somewhat clumsy person. He was always mixing up his words and getting into trouble. They were small transgressions however, such as forgetting to tuck in his shirt at school or being late to class or the designated mealtime.

Amy Rose was a sweet girl, comforting and kind. She loved to take care of people and always volunteered to work at the Community nursing home. Sonic had never seen her get in trouble, but everyone has of course, no doubt.

Sonic was feeling very nervous about the Ceremony of 14. It was already December and the important ceremony would be at the end of the month. Nervous could probably be an understatement. Every 13 year-old was watched and at the ceremony, they would be given their Character Trait, and along with that, they would get a choice of jobs.

Sonic's father, Jules, was given the trait of Leadership and assigned the job of Nurturer. A Nurturer would take care of all of the newchildren the Birthmothers created until the end of their first December. If the newchild had developed like it should and was dubbed good, it would be named and assigned parents, thus becoming a family unit. But if the newchild had not developed enough or was dubbed marred (deformity or sickness), it would be Released.

Release was a process of expelling a person from the Community. It was given to those who repeated to sin against the major rules set, the unfit newchildren, and the very elderly. No one in the Community really knew exactly what Release was, other than the fact that they wouldn't be seen ever again. Even the simple thought of Release could make a grown man shudder.

Finally after what seemed to be ages, the chilly hedgehog reached his home. All of the homes were marked with number of designation. Sonic knew his was 1,234, Knuckle's was 908, and Amy's was 1,006. But that was the only difference in the housing section of the Community. All of the houses look completely alike, inside and out. The grass was always cut to the perfect length and the family's bicycles were neatly leaned up against the house in special racks underneath an awning for protection from weather.

He took off his shoes outside of the door to prevent tracking in the snow. He carefully opened the door (it was not locked, there was no need to lock it anyways) and trudged inside. After shedding his jacket and hanging it on a hook, he started toward his room, un-tucking his crimson shirt from his khaki pants while walking. School uniforms were simply the law. They took away the students ability to brag about having nicer clothing than others. But Sonic hated it.

Sonic and his friends had always seemed somewhat different from the rest of society. They followed the rules, of course, but sometimes they were left questioning why that some rules had even come about. Some just seemed silly and over thought. But they didn't dare question it out loud, for that would be rude, thus breaking the rules and requiring an apology. That also seemed strange to them. _Why would we be chastised for asking a question?_ They would always think. But they would simply accept it and move on like the other children.

Sonic slipped his book bag off of his shoulders and set it beside the desk in his bedroom. He pulled out his notebook and Algebra textbook out and set them on the desk next to his pencil. The hedgehog groaned.

"I hate Algebra!" He grumbled as he shifted his head toward the window next to his desk. Had his parents or teachers heard him say such a thing, they would lecture him not to use such a strong, distasteful word. And hate would be anger, thus punishable. Not serious, but not fun either.

Outside, the snow was falling gently, covering the ground inch by inch in a perfect blanket. The trees were also coated in a thin topping of snow, with delicate, shimmering icicles frozen to the bottom of their branches. It was a beautiful sight and how the hedgehog wished he could go out and play with his friends. But in front of him was his roadblock.

He laid his head down onto the notebook, eyes drooping slightly, and he found himself drifting off to sleep.

Later that night, Sonic, his father Jules, his mother Bernadette, and his little sister Sonya sat down at the supper table to begin their dinner. Everyone in the Community started their dinner precisely at 6:00 PM, not sooner, no later.

Sonya had begun to chat about her day. Being only a seven year old, she hadn't had many serious topics. Though it was considered rude to talk for a lengthy time at the supper table, his parents let it slide tonight. After she had finished (_Finally, _Sonic had thought), his parents took turns telling about their days.

"He simply continues to break the law!" Bernadette said calmly, though there was a slight twinge of irritation.

"I'm not sure what to do anymore…" she trailed off looking to her husband, giving him the signal to talk about his day.

"Well, everything seems to be going fine. Except for one newchild. He isn't developing, as he should be! He simply cannot stay asleep at night!" He sighed. His mother grabbed his hand soothingly and gave him an apathetic look.

"Will he have to be released, daddy?" Sonya asked with more solemnity than a child her age should have. Jules rubbed his temple with his free hand as he shook his head.

"They're definitely thinking about it. The lil' guy is deformed anyways. But I like him and some of the other workers do to. So I'm going to try to wiggle his deformity into the abilities category. But even if that works, if he doesn't start developing, we can't keep him around." He sat back in his chair.

"Daddy, why don't we just bring him here! You said you don't think the night workers are good, right?" Sonya tried to reason.

She was correct, however. The night workers at the Nurturing Center were simply too impatient with the newchildren. But really, the girl was fishing for a reason to be able to play with the newchild.

Jules sat back up and pondered her suggestion for a moment, "You know, Sonya-girl, that wouldn't be such a bad idea. I could take care of him here so I could help him develop unlike those lazy, worthless-" Bernadette moved her hand from his and onto his shoulder.

"Dear…" she interrupted with a warning. He chuckled sheepishly and stopped his description. Sonic and Sonya giggled quietly, and then turned their attention back to their mother.

"I suppose that would be alright, so long as it's alright…" Jules kissed his wife on the cheek. Jules then turned to his son.

"Sonic, you may start on your day." Sonic shook his head.

"Nothing really happened father. Nothing out of the ordinary," he said in a bored tone. It was true, nothing much really happened around the Community. And although he felt a building of anxiety for the Ceremony of 14, he really didn't feel like talking about such a thing right now.

"Alright then…" his father answered, standing up from the table.

"I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted…"

**Did you like it? I think this chapter turned out pretty good. Was it long enough, or too short? Should I continue?**

**You can thank Spell check for the not completely horrid spelling! *Applause* because without it, this would be an illiterate mess.**

**Anyways, reviews would mean a lot to me! So, please review! **


	2. The Daydream

**Hello! Last chapter, there were…. no reviews. Two followers, but no reviews. Oh well, it's only been a day I suppose! I just couldn't wait to post this so… here you are!**

Sonic's weary eyes slipped open slowly. He released a long, loud yawn as he tossed the covers of his bed aside and stood up with a stretch and a groan. He started toward his closet and swung the door open. Inside were an abundance of his school uniforms and a few outfits for off days.

He slipped on the normal red shirt and smoothed out a few wrinkles. He then inserted each leg into his khaki trousers and pulled them to their proper place around his waist. He tucked the shirt in and looped a belt through the belt loops, securing it tightly. He then put on a navy blue jacket, buttoning only the middle button. After replacing his socks and putting on his shoes, he walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him.

"Hi, Sonic!" his little sister, Sonya greeted with a pleasant smile. Her tuft of hair was crazier than ever. Sonya's hair drove the teachers nuts. They had always thought the children since preschool that having neat and tidy hair was necessary to be similar to the others. But both he and Sonya's quills were naturally strange. They couldn't be put down or managed.

"Hey, Sonya!" He greeted back, walking into the kitchen. After a quick breakfast, the four hedgehog set off to go to their workplace/school.

.~ .~. ~.

"And that is how you do Quadratic Equations. Are their any questions?" The teacher asked, turning from the black board littered with chalk numbers and symbols.

"Yes, Ma'am." the students replied in an almost eerie unison. Though Sonic (_And probably Knux,_ Sonic thought) hadn't understood the lesson in the slightest. But it was rude to say that you had not understood, because that would mean that you were inferring that the teacher didn't teach it well enough. So he simply kept his mouth shut.

After assigning a few pages of homework (with plenty of groans from the students, especially Sonic), the bell rang dismissing the students for the day. With an internal cheer, Sonic stuffed his schoolbooks into his bag and made his way out to the front lawn to meet his friends.

As expected, standing by the large oak tree on the snow-covered lawn was a pink female hedgehog and a red male echidna. Knuckles smirked as he spotted his blue friend making his way over to them.

"You look like a big blue marshmallow," he laughed. Sonic rolled his eyes at him, but knew his friend was right. The jackets were puffy and overly large. But it was the only jackets styles made in the Community, for different jackets would bring about bragging.

"Stop it, Knuckles. Is that anyway to greet someone? The adults would be all over you if they'd heard that comment. Oh, and by the way, you look like a bulky, red pom-pom!" Amy defended, crossing her arms and sending him a playful glare. Knuckles simply grunted and muttered an apology under his breath, just loud enough for Sonic to catch.

Sonic waved it off and turned to Amy, "Hey Ames, I didn't understand the lesson in Algebra?" Amy laughed and shook her head.

"Unlike you two, I was passed into Algebra 2, so I don't even know what your lesson today even was! Maybe if you tell me what it was..." She looked toward the boys, seeing their faces contorted on thought.

"I thing it was Quadruplets Futon or something…" Knuckles guessed, showing off his ignorance. Amy let out a snort of laughter.

"Quadratic Functions?" Amy said with a sly look on her face. Knuckles scoffed.

"That's what I said! Don't you listen?" Amy just shook her head, smiling.

"Sure you did, Knuckles. Anyways, here-"

.~.~.~.

After many notes and questions, the three friends said their goodbyes and back headed home. After a tiring walk home quite similar to the day before (the sidewalks were to piled up with snow for bicycles), Sonic finally made it back to his house.

He took off his puffy jacket, hanging it in the coat closet and went back to his room, he pulled out his Algebra textbook, notebook, and the notes that Amy had given him. He really enjoyed studying with her. She was much more patient then the teacher was. But there was something more, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

After finishing his homework in an hour (with a victorious look plastered to his tan muzzle), he got up from his desk and over to the window. He opened it and felt the chilling breeze nipping at his face. His ears twitched and he started to daydream…

_ **(Listen to Courage of the Wind by David Lanz)**_

_ Sonic was standing in the middle of a field. With him were Amy, Knuckles, and a few other Mobians he didn't recognize. Amy, instead of wearing her khaki knee-length skirt, red polo, and navy blue jacket, she wore a bouncy red skirt that was shorter than her khaki skirt. She also wore a light pink tank top. Sonic felt that strange emotion he could not describe again._

_ Then Knuckles. He was also out of uniform, sticking to a simple pair of jeans and a green T-shirt. Sonic felt an overwhelming feeling, though he could not decipher it either. It made him want to explode, not in a bad way. _

_ There was another Mobian he did not recognize. It was a very blurry picture though, so even if he might've known them, he couldn't have been able to tell. The sun-colored figure gave a warm feeling in his heart. This he didn't recognize either._

_ There were several others that gave him strange feelings too. But all of them had a certain comforting feeling to them. They all started to play a simple, yet fun game of pretend. Knuckles used his strength, Amy used her hammer, the figure took flight, and the others used their powers._

_ "But," Sonic started, "What if someone catches us using our powers? Won't we get in trouble?" The group started laughing. Not in a mocking tone, but a tone of relief and warmth. _

_ "No, Sonic" Amy cheered while twirling around, making her skirt flair out gracefully before she collapsed on the flower covered field. Sonic felt that strange spark again._

_ "We're free!" The figure cheered happily, giggling in joy. He felt the warm feeling once more. _

_ Sonic smiled, and ran out to join his friends…_

_**(End Song)**_

"Sonic? Sonic? SOOOOOONIC!"

Sonic snapped out of his wonderful daydream and whirled around to face the person who'd foolishly called to him. He sighed as he caught sight of the magenta hedgehog behind him.

"What is it, Sonya?" He muttered, annoyed. She put her hands up in defense and backed up a little bit.

"Well, I apologize, but mother said- you really need to close that window first. Your room is a freezer!" She complained. Sonic shot her a quick glare as he shut the window a bit to forcefully.

"Is that all?" He grumbled, turning back to his sister. She shook her head.

"It's time to set the table for dinner!" she stuck out her tongue and skipped out of the room. Sonic rolled his eyes and started toward the door. He turned back toward the window, seeing the falling snow. He sighed, mourning silently over the loss of his pleasant dream, and exited the room.

.~.~.~.

At dinner that night, it was time again to talk about their individual days.

"We had a lot of fun today at school!" Sonya chimed, "We had that nice substitute today, so we all got an extra cookie with our snack! And Bean and I both pretended about what jobs we would have when we hit the Ceremony of 14!" She giggled. She and the little green bird, Bean, were very close friends, almost inseparable. Everyone nodded, and Bernadette took her turn.

"The same man from yesterday has been Released. I tried all I could…" Bernadette gave a long sigh and buried her head in her hands.

"There was nothing else to be done," Jules said firmly while laying a hand on her back, "He broke the law more than once and he needed to be Released before he contaminated the Community anymore." Bernadette lifted her head and nodded grimly. Jules took his hand off of her back and nodded right back.

"Your turn, dear," Bernadette said, seemingly back to her normal self. Jules smiled and looked over at his two children.

"Well, they said I could bring that newchild home to give it extra attention. But only after work, then I bring him back in the mornings." Sonya let out a cheer.

"Yay! When can he come, daddy! When?" Jules chuckled at his daughter's antics. Bernadette rolled her eyes.

"Sonya, please mind your manners!" She scolded lightly.

"I apologize, mother. I apologize, father." Sonya apologized.

Jules waved it off, "To answer you're question, I can bring him home tomorrow." Sonya smiled brightly.

"Maybe, just maybe, we could keep him!" Sonya said, fluttering her eyelashes. But it was only met by three disapproving looks.

"Sonya, you know the rules. One boy, one girl." Bernadette stated, wagging her finger at the magenta colored hedgehog. Sonya let out a curt giggle.

"Maybe we could trade him for Sonic!" Sonic whirled his head around to face her.

"Say what now?" Offence was clearly taken to her statement.

"I apologize, Sonic! I was just joking!" She replied after looking at her parent's frowns.

"Your turn, Sonic" his father continued, "How was your day?"

"Well, I'm feeling a bit… how do I put this, nervous? Yeah, I'm feeling nervous about the Ceremony of 14. I mean, what if I get a job that I won't like?" He answered, making sure to steer clear of the word 'hate'.

Jules smirked at his son, "Oh Sonic, I don't think you have anything to worry about. The Elders and your teachers have been observing you for years! No one, or at least in every case that I've seen, has disliked their assigned jobs." That was probably true. The Elders consulted every single one of their teachers and observed them themselves (how, that still confused and scared Sonic a bit). There hasn't ever really been a clear-cut case of anyone hating their jobs.

"I suppose," Sonic left it at that. He really didn't feel like talking about the topic anymore. But despite the evidence leaning toward the efficiency of the Elders, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

.~.~.~.

Sonic lay awake that night tossing and turning. He was thinking about the Ceremony of 14, the newchild being brought home the next day, but especially the daydream. He drifted off to sleep thinking about sunny skies, colorful flowery fields, amazing friends, and most of all…

Freedom…

**This chapter was pretty fun to type. For those of you wondering how this is heavily influenced to The Giver, many terms and ways of life were borrowed. However, it will be different in certain aspects (EX= Ceremony of 12 - Ceremony of 14)**

**Anyways, please comment!**


	3. The Newchild

**Before I start, I would like to thank _Tamara the Hybridian _and _CharmyXcream14 _for adding this story to there favorites. And I'd like to thank _Tamara the Hybridian _for giving this it's first review! *applause* And the second reviewer, _Unwatered_! *more applause* **

**Sorry for the long wait. I don't even have an excuse either. I would promise that there will at least be one chapter per week, if not more, but I'll just have to wait and see if school allows it.**

**Now for the long overdue disclaimer! Yeah, I forgot it for the past two chapters. Sorry! I do not own any of the Sonic characters SEGA does. Jules and Bernadette belong to Archie, and Sonia belongs to DIC. Also, the basics for the story ("perfect world" "everyone being the same" "Ceremony of age" so on…) belong to Lois Lowry. But be warned, this will not be that similar to The Giver as we continue. Some things will be changed, got it? Good! **

"SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!"

Sonic jumped up from his desk in a panic, looking left and right at speeds that matched his running. He finally stopped to looked up to see his Algebra teacher giving him a look of pure malice while his classmates burst out laughing. Sonic slowly sat back down and averted his gaze from the teacher to his desk, blushing furiously.

"Sonic the Hedgehog? Were you daydreaming in my class? Again?" She barked. Sonic shrunk back a bit with a sheepish grin. There weren't many people who intimated him, but his Algebra teacher unfortunately slid into the category of the few who did. He looked up at his annoyed teacher, thinking about whether he should tell her the truth.

"I…well, I was just…Yes," he sighed, blushing as his reply withdrew a few giggles from a couple of girls sitting behind him. The teacher sighed, giving him a glare that could send a grown man running. The only thing comforting him was the fact that if it did come to that, he could **really **run.

"And what were you daydreaming **of**, Mr. Hedgehog? Why was it so important that you thought you could ignore today's lesson?" He felt his muzzle go red again. Should he really tell them? He would get laughed at if he told them, but he would most likely get in trouble for it too. He felt himself start to sweat and he tugged at the collar of his shirt nervously.

"Well, um, I was daydreaming about…" He looked around the room for any ideas that he could use to hide what his true dream was about. Then he focused in on something lying on his desk and yelled it out without thinking.

"I was dreaming about pencils!" Sonic felt his hands wanting to fly up and hide his face from the hysterical laughter of the other students. But he kept them down, trying to sell it. But the blush grew deeper, if possible. The teacher had a confused look on her face as the students showed no signs of letting up. Heck, even Knuckles was laughing at him.

"All right then…" she trailed off suspiciously, only to be cut off by the bell. The students cheered as they quickly packed up their books and fled out of the room. Sonic decided to stay behind a bit as to not stay near the kids who'd most likely tease him for his strange daydream. Of course, that hadn't been what he was daydreaming about at all. Of course, who in their right mind would daydream about pencils? No, Sonic had dreamed about that field again with all of those wonderful people.

But this time around, he'd looked around at the surroundings a bit more. There was a black, hooded figure leaning against a faraway tree. After staring at it for a while, he had realized something…

"_It's staring at ME!"_

Sonic shook of the daydream as Knuckles walked up next to him and punched him playfully on the arm.

"Great job making a fool of yourself today!' He chuckled. Sonic huffed, but then a devious smile crossed his muzzle.

"September 2, Third Grade," Sonic said. Knuckles's eyes widened. That had shut him up for the rest of the day.

.~.~.~.

"Awwwww! Daddy, he's so precious!" Sonia giggled peering into the bundle of blankets he was holding. A small, golden fox cooed cutely at the girl trying to reach out to touch her face. The magenta colored hedgehog in return tickled the child's chin, earning a cheerful laugh from him. Jules chuckled at the two's antics and looked over at his son, who'd just walked out from his room after finishing his homework.

"Hello, Sonic! Would you like to meet newchild number 36!" His father announced. Sonic wrinkled his nose at the use of the child's number. Before the child had been dubbed good, it was referred to as a number. Sonic remembered that he was number 19 (actually 1,119…) only because he needed to know it for the Ceremony of 14, which he thought must almost be here.

"We have to call him 36?" Sonic replied. Jules smirked and shook his head.

"Actually, I took a peek at the list of names for the next Naming, and I looked up 36…" Bernadette, who'd been calmly knitting the whole time, looked at her husband in wonder.

"Jules! You know that no one except the Namers themselves are supposed to know a child's name before the Naming!" Bernadette lightly scolded. Her blue husband simply shrugged.

"I thought it'd help his development if I called him by a name," He gave as an excuse. Bernadette simply groaned and shook her head, going back to knitting.

"What's his name then?" Sonia pried, staring at the baby's shining blue eyes.

"His name is Miles," Jules answered, adjusting the child so that he could see the other occupants. He stuck his thumb into his mouth and stared curiously at the blue teenager and the nice little girl.

"Hello, Miles!" Sonia cooed, trying out the name. Miles pulled his thumb from his mouth and gave a large smile that showed off the few teeth he had.

"I don't see what they were talking about when they said he was deformed…" Sonic said, finding himself smiling at the kit. Jules smile turned into a dismayed frown. Without speaking, he slowly unwrapped the blankets that covered the child and set him back onto his lap. Sonic couldn't believe what he saw.

"He has two tails?" He questioned staring at the twin appendages swaying almost rhythmically behind Miles. The kit grabbed one of them and stuck the fluffy, white tip into his mouth. Sonic didn't really find it bad; in fact he thought it was pretty cool. But he knew that the Council wouldn't think so. He was flawed, thus messing up the normality of having a single tail.

But Sonic didn't care…

.~.~.~.

Later that night, Sonic was awoken by a loud sob. He jumped out of bed in what he might've called a defensive stance, but fell over. Remembering the infant staying at their home, he sighed and climbed back into his bed. Not being able to fall back asleep, he turned on a lamp and sat up in bed thinking. This time about what job he could be given at the Ceremony of 14.

"_Maybe a chef! Nah… I suck at cooking… Maybe I could be a worker at the Home for the Elderly! Or maybe not, then I'd come home smelling like old perfume and mothballs. I could be a Nuturer! No… I love dad and all, but not enough to work with him…" _

His mind slowly started to drift off into sleep, shuffling through the different suggestions. Before letting his eyes shut, he cast a glance at the calendar sitting on his side table.

"_December 30th…" _He thought.

He suddenly sat up, eyes widened and fully awake.

"Oh my Chaos! The Ceremony is tomorrow!"

.~.~.~.

**Well, there you are! Do you think my chapters are adequate? And guess what? The actual plot is coming in next chapter! *applause, but then it cuts off and stops* Stupid applause machine…**

**Please Review! If you do, I will reply and include you in the top author's note! **

**Until next time!**


	4. Ceremony of 14

** Hello! Special thanks go to _Tamara the Hybridian_ and _Unwatered_ for reviewing! I hope I replied to your reviews, because I don't remember if I did or not. If I didn't, please tell me and I apologize. I have the worst memory in the planet.**

** Anyways, I've worked hard to make sure this chapter was longer than last chapter, since I recently realized that it was notably shorter than the others. **

** Enjoy!**

Bernadette straightened Sonic's tie for probably the tenth time that morning. Sonic never liked ties in the first place, but the proper dress for the Ceremony was to wear it. He was also dressed up in a navy colored suit with a red tie and shiny black dress shoes instead of his normal sneakers.

'You look so dapper in your suit, Sonic! I can't believe you're going to be assigned your career today! Oh, it seems like you were just named yesterday!" she cooed with tears in her eyes. The blue teen smiled and gently hugged his mother.

"Don't worry, mom. You know I still stay here with you until the apprenticing stage is over!" He comforted as he pulled away. Bernadette smiled softly as she sniffled and wiped the premature tears from her eyes.

"I know dear… I just wonder were the time went. I still remember the joy of cradling such a handsome baby boy." She said sorrowfully. Jules walked up to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He gave her a consoling kiss on the cheek, which she returned.

"We're just so proud of you, son." The three joined in a small group hug.

Sonia stepped into the room, tilting her head in confusion at her brother, father, and sobbing mother's tight embrace. After a second or two, she dismissed it as being under the 'you'll find out once you're older' category and made her way into the kitchen to pour herself some juice.

As the three broke the hug, Jules left the room to go prepare some more. Usually, he had to work almost every day from dawn until 6:00 PM, but he had convinced the Head of the Nurturing Center to give him the day for the special occasion. It would have been improper if the Head hadn't let Jules attend, so there wasn't actually much convincing involved at all.

Bernadette had rushed over to help Sonia, who'd spilled the apple juice all over her shirt after being frightened by a bug. The mother rushed her daughter back to her room to hurry and change. Sonic stood, looking into the mirror hung in front of him on the wall. He studied his appearance with his emerald green eyes, feeling slightly nauseous.

He was actually extremely nervous; despite the encouragement he'd spoken to his mother just moments ago. The decision would be set in stone for the rest of his life. Usually the Council got it correct, but he couldn't help but remember what happened to one girl.

The girl, whose name he seemed to forget, had disliked her job or something like that so much that she had vanished, never to be seen again. Of course, that wasn't too detailed, thanks to the distortion of school gossip. But Sonic couldn't help but be worried about it. What if he was the one person who didn't like his career? What if he hated it so much that he drowned himself in the brook? He shuddered at the mere thought. Sonic had never really fancied water.

Sonic felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see his father with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"Don't worry Sonic, everything will be alright," Jules stated. He had noticed his son's anxiety almost instantly. He remembered being nervous back when he was Sonic's age. But then, he remembered how silly he had thought he'd been after receiving his job. He wouldn't have wished for a different one. Sonic weakly smiled back.

"We'd better get going!" Bernadette called to them with Sonia, wearing a different shirt, skipping by her side. The men nodded and the three silently rushed out of the house. Sonic stayed behind, catching a glance of his reflection before he followed the others.

Sonic waved to his parents before sidling through the crowds that filled the gargantuan auditorium. Finally, he reached the other children his age and sat down at his designated seat. He seat was labeled _#19_. Nineteen was his birthnumber, as thirty-six was Miles's, four was Knuckles's, and eighteen was Amy's. Knuckles turned around in his seat and waved at Sonic, before being chastised by the director. Sonic chuckled, and then turned to Amy, who was right beside him.

Amy, since her number was right before Sonic's, had her assigned seat to his left. Seeing him looking at her, she gave him a cute laugh and smiled brightly. Sonic felt his face go hot as that strange feeling welled up in his chest again. Amy noticed the hedgehog's actions and giggled a bit.

"You alright, Sonic? You're blushing!" Sonic averted his eyes from hers as she continued to laugh. Didn't she feel the same strange feeling?

"All right everyone, settle down now!" the director called as she stepped onto the stage. The audience quieted down, turning their attention to the robin. She cleared her throat and continued into her practiced speech.

"Dear friends and family, we have assembled here this morning to release these young adults into the world as contributing Community members. They have undergone much training in their schools, and are ready to enter the careers chosen for them. They will be taken in as apprentices by masters of that trade until they have almost become masters themselves." A light laughter sounded from the audience, before quieting again.

"We shall now begin. Number one, Jet the Hawk," the crowd applauded as the bird stepped onto the stage. After a long speech about his accomplishments and personality, he was awarded the trait of fearlessness and assigned to be a pilot. After two other teens by the names of Rouge and Mighty had been assigned as well.

"Number four, Knuckles the Echidna," the crowd applauded and Sonic let out a loud whistle. Knuckles stumbled out of his seat and made his way up to the stage. The director smiled kindly as she put her wing onto his shoulder.

"Knuckles, though not the most diligent student, has always been a good child and has been quite the character. Especially after he made his strength known. I think we **all** remember that, don't we, Knuckles?" Knuckles blushed as the crowd chuckled.

When he was still just a five-year old, Knuckles had gotten very frustrated while playing freeze tag with all of the other fives. No matter how many people he would freeze, Sonic would use his newfound speed to just dash past them and unfreeze them. The echidna just wasn't fast enough! He growled quite cutely (his age causing that) and punched the tree he was leaning on in anger. What the child hadn't been expecting was for the tree to break and fall onto the nearby school building. A dazed Sonic stood inches from it, having been knocked down in shock. The red one shook off his initial surprise and darted to the hedgehog. After tackling the blue one into a lying down position, Knuckles smiled happily.

"Freeze! I got you!" The child shouted quite adorably, proud of himself for catching his speedy friend.

The audience quieted back down their laughter and directed their attention back to the director. After a bit more talking, the robin straightened up and reopened her folder, glancing at the list.

"Knuckles the Echidna, you have been given the trait of bravery. And you have been assigned to the task of a police officer," the announced, looking up to the beaming echidna. After shaking hands, the crowd burst into lively applause and Sonic whistled some more.

Many of the others had gone by quickly, with loud applause and excited teens. So far everyone had absolutely loved the jobs they'd been assigned to. Sonic slumped further with each one, sweating nervously. Amy just grabbed his hand and squeezed it encouragingly, making the blue hedgehog blush again.

"Number Eighteen, Amy Rose," The audience erupted once more into clapping as the pink hedgehog stood and gracefully made her way to the stage.

" Amy, you have always been the smartest of the bunch, taking honors classes and helping others in and out of your age group excel as well. You are always sweet to everyone, being kind and always going out of your way to help others." The director continued to talk about Amy's accomplishments, stopping for a while on Amy's strange power to pull hammers from thin air. Her power had confused the adults of the Community, scaring them almost. But like everyone else, they'd gotten used to it, not questioning it any longer.

"Well, Ms. Rose, you have been given the trait of kind-heartedness. And as for your assignment, you have been given the career of being a Nurse to the Elderly," She announced. The two shook hands, both with large smiles on their faces. Amy practically floated off stage back into her seat. She gave him an excited squeak and leaned toward him, giving him a huge hug. That did it.

Sonic felt as though his face caught on fire. Blushing furiously, he smiled back at her after she broke the hug. The strange sensation overtook his body as he let out a blissful sigh and almost slid out of his seat.

That is, until what happened next.

"Number twenty, Honey the Cat," the director announced. The crowd still applauded as the confused cat started toward the stage, but puzzled mummers filled the crowd.

"She… she skipped me…" Sonic whispered with wide eyes. He could tell it had been no mistake after Honey sat down and number twenty-one was called up, and afterwards twenty-two, twenty-three, and so on. The blue hedgehog's heart shattered. Ashamed, he simply wished he could vanish. What had he done wrong? Wasn't he going to be assigned? Would he be Released?

Thoughts chaotically flew through the hedgehogs mind as he watched the others get assigned.

What had he done wrong?

** Wow! That chapter was one of the longest yet! I think I did pretty good with this one, wouldn't you say? And I don't know if Knux would really want to be a police officer… It was the first thing I thought of that made sense. It's better than Knuckles the Cook. Lol, could you imagine that? Him wearing a poofy chef hat cooking a turkey with a flamethrower…XD**

** Anyways, yeah, ignore my weirdness. I also had a lot of fun with the flashback about how Knux realized his powers. I like to type cute stuff relating to the innocence of a child. Like Miles! :) Who will return soon…**

** Back on topic, Please review! ;)**


End file.
